Elimination of metals.



i 55 its nature, characteristic features and TED GUILLIA'M H. CLAMER, F PHTLADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELIMINATION or lllE'IALS.

Specification of Letters ratent. Patented Sept. 20, 1910.

Application filed Cctober 19, 1904. Serial No. 229,101.

No Drawing.

The process of be practiced by the scrap or alloy 1n contact with an oxid, sulfid or chlorid of a metal whose heat of formation 1s less than that of the metal or metals desired .to be eliminated, employing, insu cient amount of the oxid,

\ sulfid or chlorid (which may be called the the present invention may melting in a suitable flux To all whom it may concern: 1

Be it known that I, GUILLIAM H. CLAMER, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invcnted certain new an useful Improvements in Elimination of Metals, of which the following is a specification.

- Commercial brass scrap consists essentially of copper but contains tin, lead,-zinc, iron, man anese and aluminum, with or without other metals and impurities, and in some instances some of the metals mentioned are absent. It is obviously desirable to use brass scrap, for the pro uction of alloys and the like specially constituted for-various purposes, but it frequently occurs that some of the ingredients of the scrapwould prevent, its use for certain of such specially conaction, so that the metallic base 0 dizing material is replaced by only a portion of the metal the reduced metal enters into the alloy, but there is left inthe molten mass also that portion of the metals which it is desired to which has not entered into comof the-absence of suiiicient In other words, the reand only of the metal or metals which are to be stituted alloys.

i I have already patented in and by United eliminated has entered into the slag he States Letters Patent No. 707,551, a metho slag is removed and the remaining mixture for treating brass scrap so as to eliminate its is exposed toithe action of air which first oxidizes the metals having the greatest affinity for oxygen, thus forming oxids 0 them which float on the top of the molten bath and are removed easily oxidizable metals are the metals to be eliminated and they may carry with them a undesirable constituents. That patented method, stated generally, consists in replacing a part of the copper alloy or brass scra by fusing it along with flux and a chemica metallic compound of which the heat of formation is less than that of the part or parts to be eliminated from the scrap, so that certain quantity of the other constituents o the chemical compound is reduced an its the alloy. en this occurs the constituents base enters into the allo replacing the part last referred to may be secured from the or parts thereofto be e iminated, such part slag, for example, in the manner hereinafter set forth. If the brass scrap or alloy contains the metal or metals to be eliminated in comparat vely small proportion, the use 0 the oxidizing agent may be dispensed wit or parts entering into the chemical compound and being taken u by the slag.

In the commercial app ication of that patented process it is necessary to use the chemical metallic compound or oxidizing material and the necessary oxidation effected by in such a way that an excess of it is present means of air and the removal efiected by 40 or else it, is necessary to know the precise skimming as described.

analysis of the various alloys involve r For the sake of a further descri tion an It is one object of the present invention to explanation will now be given of t e treatto the invention of ordinary lead, tin,

ment accord 'obviate the use of the oxidizing material In brass scrap containing copper, zmc,

excess and to dispense with the necessity for such knowledge as, can only be acquired by iron, manganese and aluminum for the puranalysis, or in other words, to im rove and poses of eliminatingsubstantially everysimplify the attainment of the resu ts accomthing exce t copper, tin, and lead. For this t e recess is co ducted as deplished by the patented process. pur ose Another object of the invention is to fascri ed in my cilitate the applicat on of the patented rocbrass scra 1S heated along with a suitable ess to the preparation from ordinary rass flux, as si ica and lime or silica and sodascra of such an alloy as 15, well adapted for ash, but 111 contact with an msufiicient quantity of oxid of lead oxid for oxidizing'all the zinc an otl metals which are to be eliminate Howa portion of these are oxidized and for furnishing enoug Other objects of the invention as well as scope description: ever,

will appear from the following ormer patent, except that theor metals of the alloy and therefrom. These and other metals which are to be eliminated invention ielates modificatlons may be made and whic are more electro-positive' than in etails without depaitlng from the spirit eit er copper, tin or lead are oxidized by thereof, hence the invention is not limited the air and float on the surface in the form further thant e prior 'state of the art may ofdry powder OI semi-molten slag This require, but

Having thus described the nature and oboff from time to time and the metal is ex jects of my invention, what I claim as new posed if necessary to further oxldation b and desire to secure by Lettens Patent is: additional an supplies until the elimination -1. The .method of eliminating and replac- 1s complete, which fact can be determined ing part of a copper alloy which consists in )v carrying on the oxidation until such time fusing the alloy and a flux and a chemical as vapors o zinc are no longer perceptible metallic compound of which the heat of he presence or absence of vapors of ZlIlC oimation is less than the Heat of formation are conveniently determined by a itating the of the part to be eliminated with the radical me a or, P1301110 in it an iron rod and witho the compound and of which the base is drawing the same. By these means a thin adapted to replace the part to be eliminated film of metal is exposed to the air, and zinc, in insuflicient quantity for effecting com: if present, is readily detected by the presence plete elimination, removing, the resulting of its characteristic blue flame. zinc is slag, subjecting the fused metallic mass to absent the blue flame of course does not a the action of air whereby the remaining part pear Iron, aluminum and manganese, some of the metals to be eliminated are oxidized of the metals which it is desirable to ellmiand form a floating slag, and removing the nate, are more easily oxidized than Z1110 so last mentioned slag, substant ally as detiat t e absence 0 Z1110 shows that those scribed. other metals have also een eliminated. 2. The method of treating an alloy con- Thus the zinc re-action affords means for taining copper zinc and metals of which determining optically when the oxidizing some are electro-positive and some are elecprocess should be stopped so as not to subtin-positive to Z1110, which consists n subject the copper, tin and lead to undue oxiectlng the fused alloy to the oxldlzing acdation. tion of air, in'terruptin such oxidiziiw ac- It has been stated that some of the metals, tion when the zinc and the metals electio which it is not desired to eliminate, are carpositive to zinc have been e iminated, removried into the slag along with those which it ing the slag and recovering an alloy of isdesired to eliminate. However, when this copper with metals electro-negative to zinc occurs and if it be desired, the slag is treated In testimony whereof I have hereunto in a suitable-fuinace lin lcontact with em bon signed my name. i v

40 so that the metals w 1101 is contains, more i particularly the copper, tin and lead, are GUILLIAM E' reduced to the metallic state and such relVit'nesses:

, duced metals may contain some zinc, and *F. P. DoERRING, by the above I N. F. NICKELSON.

iron, but they may be treated 

